The present invention relates to assistive devices for hand-held power tools. In particular, it relates to a conversion tool for use with a hand-held circular saw for easy creation of a table saw equivalent for making long and accurate cuts in large work pieces such as plywood. This invention also relates to a conversion tool for use with a hand-held router for creation of a hands-free table top router for accurate use of the router on large work pieces.
Large work pieces such as plywood, particle board, fiber boards and plastic laminates have become common building materials. Proper application of these materials usually involves making two or more long cuts in the work pieces. Work on large work pieces, especially multiple pieces, is more efficiently performed in a workshop setting having traditional table saws and other more permanently mounted equipment. However, it is expensive, difficult and inefficient to move such equipment to a job site. For convenience and practical reasons, cuts are usually made on the job site.
As a consequence of the difficulty of transporting table saws and other larger pieces of equipment to job sites, multiple tools and devices have been created in the prior art to assist the on site builder. For example, several saw guides have been developed to help guide the user of a circular saw to make cuts in large work pieces. Such devices attach directly to the saw or other tool and two hands are generally required to manipulate the combination tool and guide. Use of such guides also requires a working surface large enough to stabilize or anchor the work piece upon which the cut or other operation will be performed. Valuable time is needed to manipulate each respective work piece into position on which to be worked. The combination of such guides with the saw or other tool can make the combined tool unwieldy to use.